Nuclear Suppliers Group
Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is a multinational body concerned with reducing nuclear proliferation by controlling the export and re-transfer of materials that may be applicable to nuclear weapon development and by improving safeguards and protection on existing materials.
History
It was founded in 1974 in response to the Indian nuclear test earlier in that year. The test demonstrated that certain non-weapons specific nuclear technology could be readily turned to weapons development. Nations already signatories of the NPT saw the need to further limit the export of nuclear equipment, materials or technology. Another benefit was that non-NPT and non-Zangger Committee nations, then specifically France, could be brought in.
A series of meetings in London from 1975 to 1978 resulted in agreements on the guidelines for export, these were published as INFCIRC/254 (essentially the Zangger "Trigger List") by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Listed items could only be exported to non-nuclear states if certain International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards were agreed to or if exceptional circumstances relating to safety existed.
The name of the "London Club" was due to the series of meetings in London. It has also been referred to as the London Group, or the London Suppliers Group.
The NSG did not meet again until 1991. The "Trigger List" remained unchanged until 1991, although the Zangger list was regularly updated. The revelations about the Iraqi weapons program following the first Gulf War led to a tightening of the export of so-called dual-use equipment. At the first meeting since 1978, held at the Hague in March 1991, the twenty-six members agreed to the changes, which were published as the "Dual-use List" in 1992, and also to the extension of the original list to more closely match the up-to-date Zangger list. A regular series of plenary meetings was also arranged as was the regular updating of the two key lists.
Members
Initially the NSG had seven members, Canada, West Germany, France, Japan, the USSR, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1976-77, membership was expanded to fifteen with the admittance of Belgium, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland. Germany was reunited in 1990 while Czechoslovakia broke up into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993. Twelve more nations joined up to 1990. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union a number of former republics have been given observer status as a stage towards future membership. The People's Republic of China joined in 2004. India joined the group in 2008 [citation needed].
As of 2008 the NSG has 45 (?) members:
- Argentina,
- Australia,
- Austria,
- Belarus,
- Belgium,
- Brazil,
- Bulgaria,
- Canada,
- China,
- Croatia,
- Cyprus,
- Czech Republic,
- Denmark,
- Estonia,
- Finland,
- France,
- Germany,
- Greece,
- Hungary,
- Ireland,
- India [citation needed],
- Italy,
- Japan,
- Kazakhstan,
- Latvia,
- Lithuania,
- Luxembourg,
- Malta,
- Netherlands,
- New Zealand,
- Norway,
- Poland,
- Portugal,
- Romania,
- Russia,
- Slovakia,
- Slovenia,
- South Africa,
- South Korea,
- Spain,
- Sweden,
- Switzerland,
- Turkey,
- Ukraine,
- United Kingdom and,
- The United States.
Role in India-US nuclear agreement
In July 2006, the United States Congress allowed US laws to be amended to accommodate civilian nuclear trade with India. (United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act). With the approval of the India-specific safeguards agreement by the IAEA Board of Governors on August 1, 2008, the Nuclear Suppliers Group is expected to consider a proposal to ease restrictions on exports to India. The meeting on 21-22 August 2008 on an India-specific exemption to the Guidelines[1] was inconclusive. Several member countries, including Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, and New Zealand, expressed reservations about the lack of conditions in the proposed exemption.[2]
Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) on September 06, 2008 agreed to grant India a "clean waiver" from its existing rules, which forbid nuclear trade with a country which has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).[3]
The NSG's decision came after three days of intense diplomacy by the US in the nuclear cartel that controls the global flow of nuclear fuel and technologies.